Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaigners have threatened to take legal action against the Labour Government.
Activists are slamming ministers over their rejection of £10billion compensation for women affected by state pension age changes.
The Waspi campaign has sent a “letter before action” to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), warning of High Court proceedings if the issue remains unresolved, giving 14 days to respond before filing their case.
This dispute centres on compensation for women born in the 1950s whose state pension age was raised to match men’s, which campaigners say was not properly communicated.
Last March, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) recommended compensation of up to £2,950 each for the affected women, arguing the changes had not been properly communicated.
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Waspi women are threatening Labour with legal action
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Despite the PHSO’s recommendation to the Government, Labour ruled out any compensation package for those affected last December.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged concerns but remained firm on the decision, stating: “Ninety per cent of those impacted did know about the change – and in those circumstances, the taxpayer simply can’t afford the burden of tens of billions of pounds of compensation.”
The changes were first announced in 1995, with the process later accelerated under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition Government.
Angela Madden, chair of the Waspi campaign, said members would not allow the DWP’s “gaslighting” of affected women to go unchallenged.
Campaigners are calling on policymakers to do more for women born in the 1950s WASPI “The Government has accepted that 1950s-born women are victims of maladministration, but it now says none of us suffered any injustice. We believe this is not only an outrage but legally wrong,” she said.
Amid this standoff with the Government, the group has launched a £75,000 CrowdJustice campaign to fund their legal action.
“We have been successful before and we are confident we will be again,” Madden added, urging the Secretary of State to “come to the table to sort out a compensation package.
“The current Labour leadership faces scrutiny over its stance, as several senior ministers backed the Waspi campaign while in opposition.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall were among those who previously supported the campaign’s demands.
Approximately 3.6 million women in the UK were affected by the phased changes to bring their retirement age in line with men.
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Pensioners are worried about the cost of living GETTY Labour MP Brian Leishman was one of 10 party members to support an SNP bill urging action on the ombudsman’s findings.
Leishman warned that the next UK Government could be a “hardline far-right effort” if Labour failed to deliver “improved living standards”.
A Government spokesman responded to the campaign’s threat, saying: “We accept the ombudsman’s finding of maladministration and have apologised for there being a 28-month delay in writing to 1950s-born women.”
The spokesman added that evidence showed only one in four people remember reading unexpected letters, while by 2006, 90 per cent of 1950s-born women were aware of the state pension age changes.
“Earlier letters wouldn’t have affected this. For these and other reasons the Government cannot justify paying for a £10.5billion compensation scheme at the expense of the taxpayer,” they concluded.